Gathering STE(A)M: Policy, curricular, and programmatic developments in arts-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education Introduction to the special issue ofArts Education Policy Review: STEAM Focus

Despite the rise of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) as an educational framework, there is a notable gap in the documentation of STEAM teaching practice and research. This article provides an overview of STEAM education connected to the topics in the invited articles authored by STEAM pioneers. It gives an operational definition of STEAM education, traces its development, and questions whether teaching and research in this area have coalesced sufficiently in order to establish STEAM as a “field.”